What is the next choice for me after O levels?

𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗖? 🤷‍♂

Every year, many parents and students are asking for the same advice : which route to take = JC or Poly or...?

It has become so competitive nowadays that some teachers advise students not to take the JC route if they have a score that’s higher than 14 for their L1R5. (First language + five relevant subjects)

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦: What is your passion and talents?

.

With the diploma, you can gain direct entry into the second year of NUS or NTU. While it is true that you may take 1 year extra, you can skip the 1st year in Uni, while your peers from A levels have to do their 1st year = same same!

I have many concerns from parents when their children would rather choose the poly route than the JC route.

Here’s my 2 cents worth takeaway on two of parents’ biggest worries.

1. University entry 👩‍🎓
   In 2018, about 16 per cent and 37 per cent of the student intake at NUS and NTU respectively are polytechnic graduates, according to a CNA report.

Some of the most brilliant students at NUS are polytechnic graduates, as they have real-life experience and diligence. In addition, they are street-smart. They know how to take risk and try new things and be more practical in life....

1. But but… what about my face? 🤦‍♀
   Your face should NEVER be a concern in your child’s education. How much is it worth? It that more important than your child's future?

a) Perhaps due to the higher cut-off points during our generation and the fact that many do not pursue university education after their diploma then, many seem to see poly diplomas to be inferior. That is not true! Many very successful men and women had taken the Non-JC route and they are doing better than their peers from JC.

There are many poly courses that require good results these days. It’s not as easy as you think it is to get into a poly course these days. For example, my nephew needs to get 12 points in order to get into business course in poly.

Molecular Biotechnology at Nanyang Poly, you need 11 points for your ELR2B2 (aggregate score of English Language, two Relevant subjects and two other Best subjects.)

And more importantly, while we are a paper chase society, and I do not want to diminish the importance of a degree, how we fare in life really depends on our drive, grit and determination. The degree, in the near future, no longer holds a guaranteed employ-ability assurance.

A degree no doubt can give one a head start over others in this superficial society. However, your true abilities will shine through eventually. One good example: BreadTalk IHQ group founder George Quek, who also runs Din Tai Fung Singapore, pursued an arts education in Taiwan and see how much more successful than other university graduates. Also, this is only one of the many measures of success. People like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg etc are all high school dropouts!

b) But… what would the relatives say… 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧
If you are concerned about the relatives, message me. I can find a few comebacks for you and I am good at them. Trust me. 😉 I did not have a degree... I had made my millions in the early 20s, while some of my peers are still doing their degree...

More importantly, your child’s interest should be more important vs YOUR FACE.

𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆.

For the child, you may not know what your interest is now. It’s okay. Many adults don’t even at their grand, old age.

Just trial and error. In our society, there’s always the fear of failure. Failure only makes us stronger and clearer in our paths. Don’t fear failure.

Parents: your child is 16, almost an adult. Listen to them. Give them advice when needed, but your advice should be practical with their best interests. Your own ego should not play a part.

Let me know your thoughts and share if you find this useful!